Singapore currency: the dollar and how you pay
The dollar, its notes and coins, and how cards, cash and QR payments fit together.
By the Local SIM Singapore team, checked October 2, 2026
The short answer
Singapore's currency is the Singapore dollar (SGD), divided into 100 cents, with notes and coins issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Cards and contactless payments are everyday options, on the MRT and buses too. Cash stays legal tender, and a vendor may set conditions, such as the denominations it accepts, by putting up a written notice.
- The dollar, SGD, written S$: 100 cents to the dollar.
- Notes and coins: the Portrait Series notes, seven denominations from $2 to $10,000, and the Third Series coins, 5 cents to $1.
- Cards and contactless: credit cards, contactless cards and mobile wallets are among the payment methods, on public transport too.
- Cash: legal tender up to 20 coins of each denomination in a transaction; a vendor may refuse or limit denominations with a written notice.
- Hawker centres: NEA manages 123 markets and hawker centres islandwide; where a stall shows an SGQR label, it lists the schemes accepted there.
Checked October 2, 2026
Cash, cards and QR, in practice
Cards
- What to know
- Credit cards and contactless payments are among the methods listed for shops, restaurants and attractions; on the MRT and buses, contactless bank cards and mobile wallets are among the ways to pay.
Cash
- What to know
- Legal tender up to 20 coins of each denomination in a transaction; a vendor may refuse or limit denominations by written notice.
SGQR
- What to know
- The label shows which payment schemes a merchant accepts; it works when your app matches one of them.
Hawker centres
- What to know
- Managed by NEA islandwide; check the stall's counter or SGQR label for what it takes before you order.
The dollar in practice
The Portrait Series
The notes in use launched in 1999, in seven denominations; the $1 and $500 notes were left out of the series, and past-series notes stay legal tender.
The Third Series coins
Issued from 2013, showing national icons; the 1-cent coin stopped being issued in 2002 but remains legal tender.
At the hawker centre
Hawker centres gather everyday food under one roof, managed by NEA; where a stall displays the SGQR label, it tells you which payment schemes that stall takes.
The bottom line
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Cash and tap both have their place: keep a little of each, and let the stall's own sign or SGQR label say what it takes.
Buy on VietSIMQuestions
What is the Singapore currency?
The Singapore dollar, written SGD and S$, divided into 100 cents. Notes and coins are issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, cards and contactless payments are everyday options, and cash stays legal tender.
Can I use my card in Singapore?
Credit cards and contactless payments are among the methods listed for shops, restaurants and attractions, and contactless cards and mobile wallets are among the ways to pay on the MRT and buses. At small stalls, check what is taken before you order.
Do I need cash in Singapore?
Some small shops and stalls will want it, so keep some. Cash is legal tender, up to 20 coins of each denomination in a transaction, and a vendor can set conditions, such as the denominations it accepts, with a written notice.
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
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